


Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride

by MrRhapsodist



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange: Before The Storm (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blackwell Academy, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Late Night Conversations, Priceward, Shakespeare Quotations, Skateboarding, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-07 13:09:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrRhapsodist/pseuds/MrRhapsodist
Summary: After yet another tearful breakup, Dana is ready to cut loose and put dating aside. And what better way to do that than by hanging out with the local skater kids at Blackwell? But she never expected to run into another girl there. And Chloe Price is looking for a fresh start, too. With Dana around, she just might find it.Set during the same timeline as "Before the Storm," albeit with a few twists.





	1. Week One

**Author's Note:**

> Just when I thought I was done with LiS fanfiction... Before the Storm Ep. 1 comes out. And the rest is history :)

As miserable as she felt, Dana Ward had to admit that the scene was perfectly set up. Huddled under a blanket on her couch, she watched from her cocoon as Juliet Watson flitted around the dorm room, prepping the laptop on which she was going to play a list of their favorite movies, and then picking out a tub of ice cream from inside her freezer bag. Once she hit the lights, Juliet plopped herself down beside Dana. Her arm curled protectively around her best friend, and her other hand offered a plastic spoon. Dana smiled and sniffled. She took the spoon, and as Juliet popped the ice cream open, they dug in.

Thursday nights were usually set aside for campus parties. Still, Rocky Road and a romcom weren’t a bad substitute.

“Thanks again, Jules. I...” Dana swallowed her first bite of ice cream. She paused to pick out a piece of marshmallow with her tongue. “I needed this. Whatever this is.”

“Eating up your sorrows?” Juliet took out a big scoop for herself. “Because you’re sure not drowning them.”

Dana giggled. “Not right now, anyway.” She dug into the tub and spooned out a mouthful of ice-cold chocolate and nuts. When the taste hit her tongue, it made Dana forget about her current woes. She flashed back to the ice cream parlor back home, where she and her dad would get hot fudge sundaes after cheerleading practice, much to her mother’s chagrin. It was a good feeling, and that little touch of spite made the dessert _so_ much sweeter. “Mmm. Now that’s the good stuff! Ben and Jerry’s?”

Juliet winked at her over the tub. “Only the best for my bestie.”

They continued to eat as Juliet fired up the movie. Dana settled into the couch, with Juliet leaning into her shoulder. Between the ice cream in her belly and the heat of her friend’s body, she tried to lose herself in the spirit of the night.

Which lasted for all of fifteen minutes.

It wasn’t much of a romcom, if Dana were being honest. How many would-be couples had a “meet cute” at the downtown mall? And compared to the girl, the guy was a total slob. No social graces. Often tripped over himself—literally—and made more of a mess trying to help the girl pick up her shopping bags. And yet, within five minutes, they were texting each other and setting up awkward plans for a first date. Who even did that? This wasn’t even comical. The movie might as well have paired up the girl with some big dumb jock and—

Damn. Couldn’t even go one night without thinking about him. Dana groaned and lowered her face into the soft lining of her blanket.

Juliet lifted her head. “Something wrong?”

“I dunno.” Dana reached her hands up to massage her temples. It gave her an excuse to avoid watching more of the movie. “Maybe it’s brain freeze?”

“Or goosebumps?”

“Excuse me?”

“Look,” Juliet said, her tone sharpening a little, “I’m just saying, maybe you’re not ready to hop back into the dating pool—”

“Ugh, can we _not_ talk about this?”

“Then when are we gonna talk about it? Because, last time I checked, you didn’t need an excuse to go out to a party with me or Zach.” Juliet grimaced, and on such a pretty face, it was a terrible sight. “A week of staying off the grid is pushing it, Dana.”

Opening her eyes, Dana looked over at Juliet. She even lifted her hand to block the movie from her sight. “A week is nothing. It’s like... the midterm break.”

“Yeah, which is when you ought to be out having a good time!”

“And every time I go out, I...” Dana stopped herself. She shook her head and dropped her eyes toward the floor. “Goddammit...”

“What? You _what,_ Dana?”

Dana let out a long breath. She didn’t want to do this. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t do this. But the more she put this off, the harder it became to even breathe, let alone focus. Dana had to fight to stop herself from thinking about red lights and dubstep overwhelming her senses as his big, strong arms took her back behind the curtains at the gym. She couldn’t help but imagine his hot breath against her neck or recall the way she’d giggled and squirmed in his grip when the slow dance music came on, and then he’d breathily whispered an offer to _get outta this place, just you an’ me, babe._

If Dana followed that thought through, she’d probably throw up all her ice cream.

“I see _him_ there.” Her hands curled into fists, tugging the blanket closer. “Fucking Logan.”

When Juliet didn’t respond, Dana took that as a personal victory. Her friend meant the world to her, but sometimes, Juliet could be a little too nosy. Good for an aspiring journalist, but bad in relationships. Dana sighed and reached out with her spoon to pull out another chunk of Rocky Road. She took her sweet time eating it and licking the spoon.

If nothing else, her friend at least had good taste in post-breakup desserts.

If Juliet had any issue with Dana not paying attention to the movie, she didn’t let it show. They stayed quiet together, both fuming, but never quite moving apart from each other. At some point later, Dana knew she’d have to apologize. Maybe offer to do some laundry or buy dinner, just like they’d done so many times before.

Meanwhile, her phone vibrated on her desk. Juliet groaned at the intrusion, but Dana pushed the blanket off and went to answer it. To her surprise and relief, it wasn’t another sloppy take-me-back text from Logan.

Instead, it was Justin Williams. One of her classmates.

> **_Justin:_ ** _yo yo dana_
> 
> **_Justin:_ ** _i got ur firewalk cd_
> 
> **_Justin:_ ** _sick tunes yo_
> 
> **_Justin:_ ** _wanna pick it up tomorrow?_

“Hey, don’t worry about that.” Juliet raised the half-finished tub of ice cream over her head. “Drama-free night, remember?”

“Sorry.” Dana hesitated before glancing back. “Just Justin texting me.”

Juliet sighed. As she lowered the ice cream back to the couch, she shook her head.

Dana fronwed. “Something wrong with that?”

“More like something wrong with _him._ ” With a scoff, Juliet added, “Those skater kids are so weird.”

“He’s actually really nice.” Or, at least, he got stoned enough to seem nice. Dana had never been entirely sure which it was. In most cases, she decided that she didn’t care. At least he was funnier than half the kids in the Vortex Club. Took himself far less seriously, too.

“Well, if you just wanted some weed, you could’ve asked Hayden.” Juliet laughed. A short, bitter sound. “At least he’s not a spazz, tripping over rails and all that—”

“Hey.” Dana brandished her spoon at her friend. “What happened to drama-free night?”

Juliet glowered. “It ended with you not taking up my offer for a good time off-campus.”

“I won’t change my mind, Juliet. I...” Dana shook her head. Too many feelings bubbled beneath the surface. “I just need a break.”

Pouting, Juliet slumped back into the couch. She clutched the ice cream tub against her lap and fished out another giant spoonful. “Right, whatever. Message received, Dana.”

As Juliet poured all her attention on the romcom, Dana sighed and turned away. She hesitated before picking up her phone again and typing up a fast response. Hopefully, Justin wouldn’t be too baked to miss it.

> **_Dana:_ ** _hey justin_
> 
> **_Dana:_ ** _glad you liked it_
> 
> **_Dana:_ ** _catch you tomorrow before class?_
> 
> **_Dana:_ ** _xoxoxo dana_

* * *

Rising bright and early the next morning, Dana managed to avoid Juliet in the hall and in the bathroom. She felt guilty, but on the other hand, she felt a little like a ninja, ducking around corners and creeping past her friend’s door as silently as possible. At any rate, Dana was used to getting ready in a hurry.

Eating a protein bar on the way, Dana trekked out to the main quad. She braced herself for the Oregon chill as she looked around for whatever students were hanging about. Sure enough, she spotted Justin, Trevor, and two of their friends sitting on a low wall near the front steps of the school. Blackwell Academy’s security staff was nowhere in sight, so the guys were having a field day with their skateboards. Justin flipped his board around with both feet, while Trevor set up a playlist on his phone. As she got closer, Dana didn’t recognize the song. Some kind of remix. But it had some killer tribal beats, and she couldn’t help but sway her lips to the tune.

“Hey, guys!” Dana called out.

Justin grinded to a halt and glanced over his shoulder. When he spotted Dana, his face broke out into a goofy grin. “Oh, snap! What up, Dana?”

When Dana came up, Justin reached into his bag and pulled out a CD. It was still brand-new, sporting the hip lighter emblem that was Firewalk’s trademark. He handed it to Dana with the reverence of someone holding onto a relic. “Much obliged for the gnarly jam! And many thanks to your cousin!”

“Yeah, he’s pretty sweet.” When she saw he had another question on his lips, Dana raised her hand. “And, before you ask, I _tried,_ but I can’t get any concert tickets out of him.”

“Bummer.” Frowning, Justin looked her over. His brows knit together. “You, uh, doing okay? I heard through the grapevine that some shit went down with you and the Bigfoots.”

Dana wanted to hang her head in shame. She wanted to lift her head and curse out Logan’s name for everyone to hear. Or Juliet’s, for that matter. But since neither action would help her much, she resorted to sighing and rubbing at her eyes. “Yeah, ‘some shit’ is right. Too much drama. Need to chill, if that’s cool.”

Justin spread out his hands. “Hey, we don’t judge.” He glanced back at Trevor. “Ain’t that right, bro?”

“You know it!” Trevor looked up with a grin. His eyes seemed to linger on Dana, and she felt an all-too-familiar chill settle over her. “You wanna come hang with us, you’re welcome anytime, Dana.”

Okay, so he was a bit obvious about his interest in her. At least his heart was in the right place. Dana smiled back. “Thanks, guys.”

She would’ve said more, but she didn’t get the chance. Behind her, a car door slammed shut, and someone yelled, “ _Whatever! Jesus!_ ” before stomping away. As the car drove off, Dana heard angry footsteps pounding in her direction and turned around.

It took her a moment to recognize the other girl. Chloe Price, she finally remembered. That was her name. Chloe was a delinquent, someone who didn’t fit in with the other high school cliques. Dana had often seen her in a black hoodie, smoking behind the bleachers while the cheerleaders were practicing, or tagging a brick wall just after the swim team finished their workout. Dana would only get a glimpse of blue eyes and blonde hair before the punk disappeared around the corner. Half the time, she was convinced she hadn’t seen anyone at all, or that she’d spotted some ghost haunting campus.

Now that ghost was marching up the steps, hands shoved in her pockets. She wore a scowl that could’ve spoiled milk.

Justin made an odd hand gesture. “Ohh, shit. What up, Price?”

“The sky, Justin,” Chloe answered, her tone full of acid. “From whence I want it to rain fiery hot death.” As she reached the skater bros, however, Chloe paused. She glanced over and seemed to realize that Dana was there, too. When she did, Chloe coughed into her hand and added, “Um, present company excluded, of course?”

Dana smiled back. “It’s cool. I don’t have an umbrella with me.”

Dumbfounded, Chloe’s mouth worked in silence. Her cheeks turned red a few seconds later, and Dana thought the blush suited her. Then Dana had to stop and wonder why she was thinking that way. She’d never minded complimenting girls on their looks, but she was suddenly entranced with how cute Chloe looked with a bit of surprise written across her face. As soon as the word _cute_ entered her mind, Dana found herself equally embarrassed and she looked away.

Clearing her throat, she said, “I’m Dana, by the way.”

“Chloe.” She offered her hand to Dana, and they shook. Dana tried not to wince at the strong grip that Chloe had. “We’re, uh, in the same math class, right?”

“Yeah. Guess we never had to do a lab together.”

“Damn shame.” Chloe chuckled. “That teacher’s an old prick. Wanna cut class with me later?”

Wow. This girl didn’t waste any time, did she? For a second, Dana wanted to say yes. Screw Juliet and Zachary. Screw the rules. Hop on a bus and play hooky with this teen rebel she’d only just met. But then Dana imagined the fallout from Mom and Dad. Those threats to curtail her spending habits weren’t exactly idle ones.

“I... I don’t know if I should.” Dana rubbed at her neck. Inside, she kicked herself. To her ears, she sounded so lame. Just like how she’d turned down Juliet the night before.

But if Chloe was disappointed, she didn’t show it. Instead, she grinned. “Hey, s’all good. I wouldn’t wanna ruin your rep.” Then she turned to Justin, and her grin turned ferocious. “So, losers, we gonna thrash or what? I don’t got all morning.”

Trevor scoffed. “Don’t see _you_ with a ride, Price.”

“Eat a dick, T-Dawg. I might just steal yours.”

“Whoa, okay.” With a shake of his head, Trevor stood. It surprised Dana that he stood at about eye level with Chloe, who was rather tall herself. “You backtalk _one_ bouncer at the Old Mill and you think you’re the resident badass?”

“Uh, you wanna _test_ the resident badass?” Chloe’s grin vanished. She put her hands together and cracked her knuckles. The audible _pop_ sent a flutter through Dana’s chest. “Bring it, Yardie.”

Everyone stared at Chloe, their mouths hanging open. Dana looked around at the other guys, but no one moved a muscle. She’d never actually seen a fight break out before. But then a few more seconds passed, and when no one did anything, she was confused.

She was even more confused when Justin and Trevor burst out laughing.

Chloe flashed them a shiteating grin and bowed at the waist. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all night, folks.” She half-turned and winked at Dana. “Sorry. In-joke.”

That much was obvious, but Dana wasn’t about to be outdone this early in the day. She leaned back and offered a casual smile. “It’s cool.” She paused, almost reconsidering her next words. “You’re pretty cool, too.”

For a moment, she expected Chloe to just shrug and say _Yeah, I know._ All the other party bros did that kind of thing. But then Chloe was looking right at Dana, and Dana couldn’t believe how fast her heart was racing at the moment. She couldn’t handle this kind of attenttion, and she turned away to hide a sudden blush that surprised her.

She’d always known she’d liked girls. She just didn’t know they could be more to her than just friends.

Meanwhile, Chloe lost her swagger. She offered a laugh and said, “Well... shit, I had something for this.” She shrugged. “Uh, stay frosty?” As that remark hung in the air, Chloe sighed and shook her head. Under her breath, she added, “Fuck, Price, you can do better than that...”

Out of sympathy, Dana laughed. She cut it short when the five-minute bell rang. The bell brought her back to reality. A fun-filled Friday of drama class with Mr. Keaton, English with Mrs. Hoida, and math with the “old prick,” as Chloe deemed him. Dana knew that she’d be going through the motions with everyone but Mr. Keaton, so she couldn’t waste any time. She sighed and stood, picking up her purse with an apologetic frown to the other kids.

Chloe offered a fist bump. “Hey, catch you around.”

Another strange turn. Dana hesitated before she bumped Chloe’s fist.

Then, before she could leave, an idea came to her. Reaching into her purse, Dana whipped out her phone and offered it to Chloe. The other girl, however, responded with a quizzical frown.

“Would you mind putting in your number for me?” asked Dana. Then she grinned and added, “I _might_ change my mind about ditching later.”

No more was needed. Chloe snatched the phone from Dana’s hand. With a blaze of fingertips, she typed in her number. Looking up, Chloe grinned. She knelt down on one knee and offered the phone with a sly grin that had Trevor and Justin making wolf whistles from the sidelines.

“It’s a date,” said Chloe.

Dana blinked. “What?”

“Just an expression. Keep your pants on, prom queen.”

 _Prom queen._ If anyone else had called her that, Dana would’ve raked them over the coals. Half the guys in the Vortex Club, and even a few of the girls, liked to think of her as just another airheaded cheerleader. As some Barbie with a pretty smile and nothing else going for her. But then, Dana knew Chloe wasn’t like that. She didn’t spit acid when she dropped a nickname like that. Nor was there any scorn in her eyes when she said it.

Dana smiled and took back her phone. “Later, Chloe. It was nice meeting you again.”

With a tiny wave, Chloe said, “Later.”

Then, without giving Trevor a chance to react, Chloe snatched the skateboard out from under him. The poor boy landed right on his butt, and Justin cackled like a hyena.

Dana was already walking away, hurrying to class, but even with Keaton’s homework on her mind, she didn’t look away from the courtyard. Her eyes tracked Chloe all the way across the main quad, watching as her dark figure looped around trees and grinded along the edges of picnic tables. Trevor cranked up the volume on his phone, and the heady tones of Firewalk made for a nice soundtrack as Chloe Price, teen rebel, jumped and kicked her board through a nonstop series of maneuvers like it was no big deal.

If not for the kids pushing into the school building ahead of her, Dana would’ve walked straight into the front doors and smacked her head into the glass. As it was, she made it to drama class with only thirty seconds to spare.


	2. Week Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dana wants a quiet Saturday night all to herself. Instead, she gets a visit from Blackwell's resident troublemaker.

“Dana, are you even listening to me?”

Juliet’s voice reached her from beyond the depths of the textbook page. Dana stopped to rub at her eyes and groan. She shook her head. “Sorry, Jules.”

From the couch, Juliet crossed her arms and harrumphed. Even pissed, she was still cute, but Dana knew better than to say so. And in any case, she had to be careful. Ever since she’d run into that Chloe Price, words like _cute_ had become loaded. Far too many implications lurked beneath the surface, and Dana would rather focus on Cheer Squad and drama class than let thoughts of a certain short-haired punk eat up her day.

Meanwhile, Juliet flashed her a puzzled frown.

“What?” said Dana.

“I...” Juliet closed her mouth and flicked her gaze away. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Jules...”

“I said, it’s cool.” Juliet shrugged, maybe just a little too quickly. “I guess it’s cool that you wanna stay or whatever, but there’s gonna be tons of cute guys at the party tonight. Taylor says they’ll be scoring the _good_ wine from Nathan’s dad, too.” She spread her hands out and stared. “I mean, c’mon. How can you say no to that?”

“Pretty easy, it turns out.” Dana bit on her bottom lip. “Hey, I like having a good time as much as the next person—”

“Uh, you _used_ to—”

“And I still do,” Dana insisted. Her eyes snapped onto Juliet, turning hard and narrow. “Just... not this week. Okay?”

For a long time, Juliet said nothing. Dana had plenty of time, then, to consider just how big the gulf between them had grown. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. They’d been inseparable about two weeks after meeting each other. Juliet loved Dana’s fashion tips, and Dana could always rely on her for a hip new place to check out, or some party to crash. And when she put it like it, Dana realized that that was half of their friendship right there. Going to parties. Checking out who was hot and who was not. Getting trashed on cheap liquor and grinding to some dubstep at two in the morning. It seemed perfectly natural that they’d wake up on each other’s couches, groggy and hungover, and that they took turns covering the bill for breakfast at the Two Whales. But when push came to shove, Dana had to admit she didn’t know what else they had.

For a split second, she imagined kicking Juliet out. Then she dismissed the thought. Whatever her mood might be like, Dana wasn’t that kind of person. And Juliet didn’t deserve it, no matter how dismissive she was.

“Hey,” Dana offered. “I’ll... I can buy you breakfast tomorrow.” She paused, thinking up more ways to sweeten the deal. “And, you know, if I _do_ change my mind later, I’ll text you.”

Juliet glanced up from the couch. “You mean it?”

“Sure. I might be in the right mood to party later—”

“No, I mean about breakfast?” Juliet’s frown broke into a teasing grin. But Dana only laughed, and so did Juliet.

She watched her friend get up and stretch out her arms. They shared one last hug, and Juliet promised to text her any juicy details from the party, provided she wasn’t too blasted. Dana forced a bottle of water into her purse just to be sure. Then Juliet was out the door, and Dana was alone again.

 _Just me and a book about Shakespeare,_ she thought, leaning back into her chair. _What could be better than that?_

She sighed and rubbed at her temples. After a minute, she got back to studying.

* * *

Studying, as it turned out, didn’t even last more than ten minutes.

Dana was only just starting to get the hang of it, too. She’d been reciting a dozen of Miranda’s lines to herself, glancing between the textbook and looking up at the ceiling. Whatever it took to help her commit the lines to memory, so that she could read them out in Keaton’s class. Miranda wasn’t terrible as characters went. Who wouldn’t want the chance to say “ _O brave new world, that has such people in it!_ ” out loud? It’d be like a scene out of that movie, _Dead Poets Society._ Dana knew she’d be fine. Even her classmate Rachel Amber was singing her praises about the play. But with so much pressure, Dana knew she had to be perfect. No missteps. No missed cues. It’d be like how missing a step in cheer practice would get her a stern shout from the coach.

Such was Dana’s irritation, then, when a pair of pebbles went _ping_ against her window. She scowled out at the hastily retreating figure below.

Less than a second later, her phone buzzed three times. Dana wondered if this was another cruel trick from Victoria and her little rat pack. But when she checked her phone, Dana’s breath went tight.

> **_Chloe:_ ** _sorry about the rocks_
> 
> **_Chloe:_ ** _need to hide with you, if that’s cool_
> 
> **_Chloe:_ ** _i mighta pissed off a LOT of jocks_

When Dana didn’t respond right away, a second pair of texts came flashing onscreen.

> **_Chloe:_ ** _u there?_
> 
> **_Chloe:_ ** _pls hurry dana_

While she didn’t see a band of savage football players chasing Chloe through the courtyard below, Dana did suspect there was some truth to the matter. And in any case, it wasn’t like she was going to get her concentration back so easily. She might as well save Shakespeare for a cram session the night before class.

She texted back.

> **_Dana:_ ** _Room 218_
> 
> **_Dana:_ ** _come on up_ ^_^

Her response came back a moment later.

> **_Chloe:_ ** _NO EMOJI_
> 
> **_Chloe:_ ** _brb_

Well, well. So much for staying in, as Juliet had accused her. Dana sighed and shook her head. Then she kicked away the cobwebs from her head and got up.

It only took her a few moments to tidy up the room, straightening bedsheets and clearing off her couch. Dana chided herself for once again leaving her cheerleader’s uniform laying around instead of hanging it up again. When she stopped to glance at herself in her mirror, she noticed that her hair was unbound and messy. Dana went rooting through her drawer of accessories. She grabbed a blue hair tie and pulled it into place, smoothing down the curls as best she could. Another glance in the mirror made Dana smile. It wasn’t exactly a case of bedhead, but it was pretty close.

She stopped smiling when a fist pounded against her door. Running over, Dana opened it, and in burst Chloe, still wearing the same black hoodie from before.

“Thank you!” Chloe added, red-faced and breathing hard. She pushed the door shut and stepped past Dana to glance out the window. After a few seconds of watchful silence, Chloe’s body sagged and she tilted her head back with a relieved grin. “Okay. Okay, that... was _crazy..._ ”

Dana stared in disbelief. “Um, not that I’m not glad to see you, but what did you _do?_ ”

“Eh, little of this, little of that.” Stopping to catch her breath, Chloe grinned and shoved her hands in her pockets. It gave Dana the impression of a little kid who’d just done something stupid and gotten away with it. “You know Drew North? Not the brightest tool in the shed, but he, uh, _did_ catch on with my little joke.”

“Do I even wanna know?”

“Hey, it’s fine.” Chloe’s grin widened. “I only _insinuated,_ Dana, that his girlfriend’s name was Lefty. As in, the hand he uses every Friday night.”

“Oh, geez!” Dana tried to hold it in, but the giggle came out anyway. She doubled over and wiped at her eyes, as the laughter only grew worse. “Chloe, that... that’s just terrible!”

Chloe shrugged. “Not my best material, I’ll grant you.”

Once she’d gotten all her giggles out, Dana kept on smiling. She noted, however, that she’d left her textbook open on the desk. The last thing she wanted to do was go back on her mental promise and make Chloe feel like a stranger. It would’ve been rude, something she’d tried very hard _not_ to be with Juliet, even with her sulky attitude. But before Dana could go and grab the book, Chloe leaned over and gave the desk a cursory look. When she spotted the textbook, her eyes lit up.

“Hello, what do we have here?” Chloe ran a finger over the play’s text. “You reading up on the Bard?”

“Just a little homework.” Dana couldn’t stop the blush from rising on her cheeks. She clasped her hands behind her back, trying to play coy. “It’s, uh, no big deal.”

“Shit.” Chloe’s eyes flickered back toward Dana. “I’m intruding, aren’t I?”

“Oh, no! Not at all—”

“Yeah, I am.” Chloe’s face fell. Pushing herself off the desk, she shoved her hands back into her pockets and swayed toward the door. “Hey, thanks for the hideout, Dana. I mean it. I’ll be outta your hair in a sec, I swear.”

Dana stopped her with a hand to the shoulder. Chloe’s eyes widened, and Dana’s heart damn near stopped. Their eyes met, and Dana almost thought she could just lean in. Except she knew that’d be too much to ask. Chloe was many things right now—casual acquaintance, classmate, well-known troublemaker—but that’d be taking things between them one step too far. Instead, Dana ducked her head.

“It’s...” Pushing past her concern, Dana tried for a smile. “It’s fine, Chloe. Really.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. As a matter of fact, you might as well be rescuing me from homework.”

Chloe’s grin returned. “Hell yeah. Just call me your knight in shining armor.” She flexed her arms to her shoulders, exaggerating her muscle size. “’Cept, you know, without the armor, the horse, or the badass sword.”

Dana giggled. “You’re incorrigible.”

“I don’t even know the meaning of the word.” Chloe frowned. “Actually... wait, no. I do!”

“Chloe—”

“You got any movies?” Chloe turned away from Dana. With a swagger that matched her tone, she began browsing through the DVDs that Dana kept on her bookshelves, nestled in between textbooks and all those self-help guides her mother had sent along. “Hey, it’s not that I’m bad at conversation. But if we’re gonna do a girls’ night in, then we gotta do it _right._ Pop in a feature film, get loaded up on soda and junk food...” She only glanced back to offer another teasing wink. “Or beer and pizza, if that’s what floats your boat.”

Actually, Dana had yet to find a night where beer and pizza _weren’t_ the best solution. Once again, she felt a touch guilty over the idea. She couldn’t bring herself to go out with Juliet and Zachary, but one word from Chloe, and she was game. Given Chloe’s friendship with Blackwell’s skater bros, Dana doubted she would’ve said no to a hit of pot either.

That mental image delighted her for some reason. The idea of her and Chloe, lying on a blanket somewhere under the stars, passing a freshly-lit joint and being one with the cosmos.

 _Or maybe I just like the idea of being close to her,_ Dana realized, her stomach fluttering with butterflies. She pressed her hands over her gut, and when Chloe gave her a quizzical frown, Dana smiled and said, “Uh, actually, dinner’s sounding pretty good right about now.”

“Awesome.” Chloe whipped out her phone. “Don’t worry. I got the pizza parlor on speed dial.”

“I’ll bet you do.” Dana arched an eyebrow. “And how’s your beer supply?”

“Uh, tricky.” Chloe paused mid-typing and looked up with a pout. “Mm. Okay, so we gotta rethink that. I’m thinking... sodas from the vending machine?”

“How? The only machines are either in the school or the gym.”

A moment passed. Then Chloe’s face broke out into that sneaky little kid grin from before.

“I mean, I can get us those drinks,” said Chloe, putting away her phone. “It’s just, well, I’ll need _somebody_ to be a lookout.”

* * *

Blackwell’s central quad looked pretty at night, but it wasn’t quite the same when Chloe and Dana were sneaking across the grass in a constant crouch. For one thing, every shadow made Dana want to jump. Sure, she loved cheesy horror movies, but there wasn’t a nice soundtrack to go with this kind of tension. It was dead quiet, except for their footsteps padding across the courtyard. She almost jumped out of her skin when she watched something skitter along the pavement, only to catch her breath and laugh when she noticed the creature was an ordinary squirrel.

The only shadow that she did trust, in any case, was the black hoodie leading her to the gym.

“Okay, wait over here?” Chloe whispered. She pressed herself up against the side of the front door and waved for Dana to join her. “I promise, this won’t take more than a sec.”

“You do this sort of thing a lot?” Dana examined the industrial-strength lock on the doors.

Chloe chuckled. “Not exactly. But, hey, girl’s gotta have a hobby.” She reached into her pocket and produced a hairpin and a pick. “And mine include a little bit of lock-picking.”

“Because you’ve locked yourself out of your room so many times?”

Again, Chloe chuckled. “Not... exactly.”

She bent down and began to pick at the lock, twisting her tools in and out with a steady _tick-tick._ From where she stood, pressed against the brick wall like a thief, Dana couldn’t help but wonder how things had led her here. She was a cheerleader at an art school, and now she was running around with the biggest hoodlum on campus. Juliet wouldn’t have believed a word of it. She’d be indignant that Dana found Chloe better company than her own BFF. And yet, Dana only had to picture her friend in a sloppy makeout session with Zach on someone’s couch to remember why she was happier doing dumb shit like this.

“Since we’re here,” Chloe said, still looking into the depths of the lock, “mind if I ask ya something?”

“What is it?”

“Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve heard tell you’re one of the biggest party girls on campus.” Chloe glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “So, what happened to _that?_ ”

“What, can’t a girl like a night off once in a while?”

“Once in a while, sure. But—and again, this is only hearsay—I’ve heard you haven’t been showing up to any Vortex Club shit for a while now.”

“And?”

“And I’m guessing you hit one drama bomb too many.” Chloe paused. “Unless I’m wrong?”

Dana leaned back against the wall. Her eyes scanned the courtyard for movement, ignoring the leaves falling off one tree and the squirrel chasing a firefly near the school hall. She kept her arms crossed over her chest, through which she could feel, and almost hear, her heart racing a mile a minute.

“You’re not,” she answered. Pushing a hand through her hair, Dana laughed. “It’s been a shitty month. And the reason for that is named Logan, if you want to avoid him, too.”

“Called it!” Chloe pumped her fist. “Boys are trouble, aren’t they?”

“Yep.”

“Heh. You know a guy named Eliot Hampden?”

Dana shook her head.

“Well, he’s probably not as bad as Logan is. Er, as he _was._ ” Chloe spoke while twisting her pick around for another pass at the lock. “Real sweet kid, but... we hooked up once, and I didn’t feel a thing for him. Now he thinks we’re this close to bein’ a real item.”

“Ugh.”

“Right?”

“But you only hooked up the one time, right?” Dana examined Chloe from the side. The way she crouched over the front door, and the slant of her shoulders as she worked. “Like, just to get it done?”

“Oh, yeah. Nice guy, and a decent friend, too. But I don’t want any strings to hold me down.”

Dana shook her head. In her head, she heard the brief snippet of heavy drums as they swayed back and forth at a Vortex club rave. “I wish, I just fucking _wish,_ I could’ve had a one-time fling.”

“That sucks.” Chloe stopped working long enough to look up. Her face had gone soft, catching some of the light from a nearby sidewalk lamp. “You really fell for him, huh?”

“He was sweet, too.” Dana scowled. “At first. And then, a little while later... he wasn’t. Just a big, thick-headed...” She trailed off. Dozens of awful insults danced on the tip of her tongue. Only her problem was, if she started naming them, she might never stop. “Look, it’s over now. I’m glad. I just... I just wish I didn’t keep seeing him at those parties. Or even guys _like_ him.”

“Preach it.” Chloe went back to picking her lock, but as she did, Dana didn’t miss the little smile she wore. “Jocks are the fucking worst. Especially when they’re spoiled rich kids.” She coughed and added, “Um, not that I consider _you_ in that category. You’re actually nice. And cool.”

Dana smiled. “Thanks. You’re pretty cool, too.”

“That’s because I can do shit...” Chloe paused, and she made one last twist. The lock on the door went _click,_ and she bounded to her feet with her fist raised. “...Like this!”

Dana clapped her hands together. Then she glanced over her shoulder, holding open the door while Chloe raced inside to slam a handful of quarters into the vending machine. No one had come around yet, but Dana was convinced that an entire team of security guards with flashlights and nightsticks was about to come around the corner at any second. One look from them, and her whole academic career would be in a tailspin.

Except, even now, as scared as she was, she didn’t care. At least she’d gotten to hang with Chloe.

Meanwhile, Chloe emerged from the interior with an armful of soda cans and the biggest grin on her face. She winked at Dana as she passed.

“Okay, let’s go, go, go!” Chloe called over her shoulder. “And shut the door!”

Dana giggled, and she went to close the door. It didn’t so much slide shut as slam, but at least the lock clicked back into place. With a yelp, Dana ran after Chloe, convinced that security guards were about to spring out and grab them.

They forgot all about stealth and made a beeline straight back to the dorms, laughing the whole way. Dana’s sides were aching by the time she made it to the outside of her dorm. She leaned against the doorframe as Chloe juggled and shuffled her cans in her arms, then held open the door for her.

“Here.” Chloe shoved a pair of cans into Dana’s hands. “That’s your reward for being a good lookout.”

“Uh, thanks?” Dana regarded the cans. “You know, it’s nice to see that you don’t just talk big. You got some some crazy skills, Chloe.”

“Gotta be a player in this town,” Chloe replied. She leaned past Dana, wedging the front door open with her body. Then she turned back and added with a grin, “After you.”

* * *

Pizza arrived an hour later. With soda cans and paper towels littering the coffee table, Dana had to improvise the evening’s festivities. As it turned out, Chloe was a bit of a horror buff, which pleased Dana to no end. They munched on pizza as Dana popped in her DVD of _Silence of the Lambs._ She’d watched the movie a thousand times already, but damn it if that final sequence of Buffalo Bill stalking Clarice didn’t make her skin crawl every time she watched it. Dana found herself reaching for the blanket and slowly curling it over her lap as the movie reached its big scary climax.

“Dude, just chill,” Chloe said around a mouthful of pizza. She dropped her slice back onto the napkin covering her lap and wiped her fingers across her T-shirt. “He’s not gonna get ya.”

“I know _that_.” Dana clutched at her blanket. “It just creeps me out, is all—”

“It puts the lotion in the basket!” Chloe’s hand crept along Dana’s shoulder and teased around the back of her neck. Dana squealed and tossed the blanket right into Chloe’s face. Even through the blanket, she could still hear Chloe giggling like a fiend, as well as munching on her pizza.

Dana stared, smiling in disbelief. “You are ridiculous.”

“Mm-hmm.” With one hand, Chloe yanked the blanket off, revealing the rest of her pizza slice hanging out of her mouth. She grinned, and the slice disappeared in a single slurp.

After laughing so hard, Dana missed the rest of the movie’s third act. When she turned back, Clarice was safe, and Hannibal Lecter disappeared into a crowd somewhere in the Bahamas. The music swelled, the credits rolled, and Dana found herself slumping back into the couch as all that pizza and soda finally caught up with her. She giggled one last time and let her eyes fall half-shut.

As Saturday nights went, this wasn’t half-bad.

Chloe nudged her shoulder. “Hey, now. Don’t fall asleep on me.” She paused. “Or, you know, you can just kick me out when you feel like it.”

“I wasn’t gonna...” Dana stopped and held up a hand to stifle her yawn. “Mm. Wasn’t gonna kick you out. Just sleepy, that’s all.”

Chloe nodded. “Too much studying on the brain?”

“Something like that, yeah.” Dana grinned. “Plus, there’s this girl? She, like, totally dragged me out at seven o’clock at night to go raid some poor vending machine—”

“Eat me, cheerleader!” Chloe retaliated with a blanket strike. Dana laughed and swept the blanket up around herself like a cape. She earned a scowl from Chloe, but it lasted all of two seconds. Then she was chuckling and patting Dana’s shoulder. “All right. Truce?”

“Truce.” Dana snuggled deeper into the blanket. “Mmm. I guess I needed this, too.”

“Cool.” Leaning past her, Chloe popped the DVD out of its laptop tray. She put it back in its case and went to drop it on the desk across the room. Dana watched her from the safety of her cocoon.

Chloe’s body, however, froze when she reached the desk.

“Holy shit!” Spinning around, her hand held up a familiar CD. “Dude, _you’re_ a Firewalk fan?”

“Uh, yeah! They rock!”

“Yeah they do!” Chloe threw up the horns with both hands and began bopping her head up and down, lost in her own private mosh pit. “Damn, girl! You’ve got good taste!”

“Toss it here.” Dana reached out her hand. “One track, okay?”

“Pfft.” Chloe rolled her eyes as she offered the disc. “You mean at _least_ one, right?”

As soon as she clid the CD into her computer and pressed play, Dana grinned. The rising bass and clash of drums hit her right in her stomach, waking her up from the inside-out. Her exhaustion disappeared, if for only a moment or two. She shoved the blanket off herself and bounded to her feet. Chloe gave her some space on the floor as they began to dance to the powerful vocals of Firewalk’s smoking-hot lead singer.

Dana couldn’t help but watch Chloe. The poor girl looked so carefree right then, even more so than after she’d stolen a bunch of soda from the gym. With her eyes half-shut and her lips mouthing every lyric, she seemed way different from the burnt-out loner Dana had met.

Chloe looked young and happy. No other way to put it.

Smiling, Dana danced and swayed her hips back and forth to the music. She gyrated a few steps closer to her new friend. Just to see what’d happen.

“Goddamn, I said, god _damn!_ ” Bouncing from toe to toe, Chloe slid around to Dana’s side. “Guess you do know how to party after all!”

“And don’t you forget it!” Dana laughed and snapped her fingers in time with the beat. “This is, like, my workout music!”

“Good choice! Seriously!”

By the time the song ended, they collapsed onto the couch again, sweaty and laughing together. Dana didn’t even mind the way Chloe’s head more or less slumped against her shoulder. Reaching out with her foot, Dana hit the power button on her laptop and switched it off. Chloe laughed at the stupid little gesture, and Dana beamed with pride. All those extra leg workouts after school were finally paying off.

“Whew,” Chloe exclaimed. Her eyes had closed for a second. “Man, I can’t remember the last time I thrashed that hard.”

“Me neither.”

“Oh yeah?” Chloe frowned and glanced over at Dana. “Oh, right. I forgot. You, uh, usually did those Vortex Club ragers, huh?”

“Yeah...” Dana hesitated. Then, when she imagined Logan groping her from behind, she lifted her middle finger, kissed its tip, and then flicked it away like she was blowing a kiss.

Chloe giggled. “Ooh. Was that meant for your ex-boy toy?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll add one for yours, too.” Dana hesitated. “It was Eliot, right?”

“Sweet. You’re a rockstar, Dana.”

Now it was _rockstar._ Before it had been _prom queen._ Dana wasn’t sure how the two nicknames ranked on the Chloe Price Affection Meter, but her tone said plenty. She smiled and let her head fall back against the couch. The weight of pizza in her belly, matched with the epic dance she’d just pulled off, meant that she was about to crash on the couch before she could even _think_ of reaching her bed in time.

When she turned to look at Chloe, Dana could’ve sworn the other girl was about to pass out, too. With an innocent smile on her face, no less.

“Hey,” she said, “mind if I ask you something?”

Stirring from her lazy pose, Chloe peeked one eye open. “Go ahead.”

“What do you usually do on weekends? Hang with Justin and Trevor?”

Chloe kept quiet for a moment or two. Then she shrugged. “I mean, yeah. Sometimes. If there’s nothing else to do. Hit up the boys for a bout of skateboarding down by the park.” Her eyes opened, and there was a definite sparkle to them when she added, “Annnd maybe hit up my boy Frank for a bit of that sweet herb, if you know what I mean.”

“Frank?”

“Oh, shit. Uh, forget you heard that.”

Dana smirked. “If you say so...”

“Dana. Seriously.” Chloe’s bottom lip trembled. “Do not—I mean, do _not_ —tell anyone. All those fucking cops in town are just looking for an excuse to bust me, and... and, like, I just can’t...”

“Hey, it’s cool.” Dana put a reassuring hand on Chloe’s wrist. She paused, surprised when Chloe reflexively reached up and grabbed her hand, their fingers locking together. After that, Dana cleared her throat and said, “You can trust me, okay? I wasn’t gonna bust you about the sodas, was I?”

Chloe offered a shy smile. “Not without implicating _yourself,_ missy.”

“Exactly.” Dana gave her hand a squeeze. “Shake on it?”

They shook hands, and Chloe leaned back into the couch with a fading sigh. She blew out a soft exclamation of “Jesus...” and looked up at the ceiling. Dana reached for one of the last two slices of pizza still lying inside the cardboard box. She didn’t even care that it was lukewarm at that point. Pizza was still pizza, no matter the hour.

“Hey.”

Chloe’s voice made Dana turn around, the pizza uneaten in her hand. She locked eyes with her friend, who stared back with slightly parted lips.

“I, uh...” Chloe coughed into her hand. “You know, if you ever wanted to join us, just say the word.”

Dana’s brows knit together. “Join you... at the park?”

“Heck yeah.” With each passing second, Chloe’s old confidence seemed to return. “I mean, shit. You’ve had a rough time with the cool kids. Why not change gears and join my misfit squad?” Her face broke into a grin. “And, hey, it’s not like we’ll judge your wardrobe or anything.”

“What’s wrong with my wardrobe?”

“Honestly?” Chloe winked. “Nothing at all.”

Shit. And just like that, Dana realized that this fluttery feeling wasn’t just the usual case of nerves. She looked Chloe up and down, and for the first time, she wanted to get a lot closer to her. More than just close on the dance floor. Even closer than they were sitting together on the couch. The all-too-brief image of Dana running her hand through Chloe’s short hair and locking their lips together raced in and out of her head like a lightning bolt. Even the thought of joining Chloe’s friends didn’t seem half as exciting as _that_ new possibility.

Dana turned away, trying to hide her overwhelming blush. She bought some time by chewing on her last slice of pizza before she answered, “Um... I think... I’d like that.”

“Cool. How does next Saturday sound?”

“That... might be a problem.”

Chloe frowned. “Why’s that?”

Setting down her half-eaten slice, Dana flashed a teasing grin. “Well, I’d meet you guys at the park, but I think I’ve got this stalker? This, like, real _weird_ chick keeps barging into the room with pizza and stolen soda cans at odd hours of the night...”

“Well, _she_ sounds awesome!” Chloe crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue. Then she broke into a cheeky smile and added, “When you see her, tell I said that.”

Even though her heart was pounding through her chest, Dana grinned back. She patted Chloe on the shoulder, letting the hand linger a bit on the warm black fabric.

“Don’t worry,” she replied. “I think I’ll be seeing a lot more of her from now on.”


	3. Week Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the park offers some exciting new possibilities. It also brings some old wounds to light again.

Justin did a double-take when Dana came strolling across the bridge beside Chloe. After squinting against the glare of the setting sun, he let out a wolf whistle and laughed. “Dayum, Dana! Didn’t recognize you without your killer threads!”

“Aww, and I was gonna compliment your beard, too!” Dana answered with a laugh.

Per Chloe’s instructions, she’d foregone her usual designer label clothing for whatever scruffy old thing she had in the closet. Which, in this case, was a pair of skinny jeans and a checkered shirt, from her brief teen phase as a scene kid. They were tastefully tattered, but not, as Chloe put it, “so messed up that they’re gonna make ya look homeless.” Chloe, of course, came in just a Firewalk T-shirt and black jeans. Dana wasn’t usually a fan of the total punk look, but she had to admit, few could rock it like Chloe did.

“Nah, this old thing?” Justin tugged at the scruffy hair on his chin. “I just forgot to shave.”

“As if your massive weed stank wasn’t a clue enough, caveman,” Chloe quipped. She nudged Dana in the shoulder. “Wouldn’t wanna rub off on our rockstar here, would ya?”

Justin raised his hands. “All right, all right. I can take a hint. ’Scuse me a sec.”

He loped off to one of the nearby picnic tables. Dana soon heard the familiar rattle and hiss of a body spray, and she covered her mouth to hide her giggle.

This wasn’t her first time in Overlook Park. Dana had been here as a kid with her family for picnics and sightseeing. She’d later come as a teenager for goofing off after school and passing around a secret bottle of beer with the other cool kids. But this was a different kind of hangout for her. With the sun about to set and families packing up to leave, Dana felt out of place. Of course, it was only a few more weeks until Halloween. If she was going to linger in some giant park in the dead of night, she might as well act the part and commit to being the ghost of a poor cheerleader who roamed the woods in search of blood... in a PG-friendly way, of course.

“So, you ready to thrash?” Chloe turned around once she reached the other end of the bridge. She leaned back against the huge bent white oak tree, her arms folded over her chest. “I tell ya, these bros can roll with the best of them.”

“Maybe I’m not looking to impress them.” Dana shrugged. “I’d rather just have a good time.”

Chloe grinned. “Yeah? Then just wait ’til the pot starts blowing. You’ll be feelin’ _fine_ by then...”

Not willing to be outdone, Dana planted her hands on her hips. “Well, as a connoisseur of weed, I’ll leave it to you as to how high I’m getting tonight.”

Eyes going wide, Chloe looked Dana up and down. After a moment’s thought, she nodded. “Huh. Guess the prom queen’s got game after all.”

“Oh, so we’re back to _prom queen_ now?”

With a dry chuckle, Chloe shook her head. “Sorry, sorry. You’re right... rockstar.”

Dana grinned. Just the sight of her new punk friend blushing made her more than a giddy now. She knew that these feelings—terrible, disjointed, and undeniable feelings—were only getting stronger with each week she spent meeting up with Chloe. Somehow, she’d made it through the boredom of math class and the scrutiny of Keaton’s drama class without making any errors. But in that time, Dana had barely even registered the fact that Rachel was paying her a compliment, or that Logan had stopped texting her for a while. In her notes during class, and while browsing the Web after school, anything related to Chloe kept coming up. Dana would catch herself drawing little caricatures of the punk rocker on a skateboard, or she’d be looking up when the next Firewalk show was going live.

Whatever it took to keep this strange girl in her life.

Meanwhile, Justin was laughing. Trevor and two other skater bros had finally arrived. They were goofing off at the picnic tables. Once Trevor caught sight of Dana, his face split into a grin. Grabbing his board, he pushed it around in a loop with one foot, and then went for a jump that sent him grinding along the side of the picnic bench.

It _was_ impressive... right up until the moment where Trevor missed the jumping-off point, and his board flipped up, smacking him right in the nuts.

“Jesus!” Chloe exclaimed. She and Dana ran up as Trevor collapsed onto the ground, curling up into a fetal position.

“Duuude...” Justin took a hit from his lit pipe. “That... was gnarly...”

“Dude, the _fuck?_ ” Chloe gave him a stink eye. “You wanna, like, throw me an ice pack?”

“Don’t got one,” said one of Trevor’s friends. He scratched at the edge of his black beanie, lost in thought for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers and yanked the pipe from Justin. Ignoring his friend’s groans, he offered the pipe to Trevor.

“Um...” Dana glanced between the boys. “Are you _sure_ that’s okay?”

“Heh, it’s cool, it’s cool,” said one of the other skaters. “Bro just needs his medication!”

“Right on, right on,” Justin mumbled. He was too blazed to even sit up properly. As the lanky one of the group, he more or less melted into the picnic table, his head lolling to the side.

While Trevor puffed away on the pipe, Chloe turned to Dana with concern. “Hey, sorry about these chuckleheads. You okay?”

Dana blinked. “Um... yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little worried.”

“Hey.” Chloe gave her a friendly pat on the arm. “Means you’ve got a good heart.”

“Thanks.” Dana kept her eyes on Trevor, who had started giggling and lying on his back in the grass. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Heh.” Chloe stared ahead. In the corner of her eye, Dana thought she saw a hint of a smile. “That’s about the best I can hope for these days.”

“These days?”

“I, uh...” Chloe sniffled. She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. A gesture so quick that it seemed like a reflex. “Look, there’s a reason I don’t exactly stay at home on the weekends. Or most nights, for that matter. Home life’s kinda messed up.”

“Oh.” Dana paused. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Eh, thanks, I guess.” Chloe swung her arms back and forth, looking anywhere else but Dana.

As Trevor crawled back to his feet, and the other boys fell around him laughing, Chloe’s body posture slowly became more rigid. Her steps away from Dana turned into determined pacing in a circle, and Dana didn’t know what to make of it. Her first instinct said to move back and give her some space. But then where would that leave her? Sitting awkwardly, watching one friend have a slight reaction over her family drama while their skater friends got high and cracked jokes in the background.

Dana could practically feel Juliet rolling her eyes, at whatever party she and Zach had found.

“Hey.” Putting her hand out, Dana placed herself in the path of Chloe’s furious pacing. “You wanna do a little skating?”

“What?” Chloe’s brow scrunched up. “I thought we were just hanging.”

“We can still hang.” Dana gestured to the pack of hyenas behind her. “But I don’t think they’ll mind if we borrow their boards for a little bit.”

Looking past Dana, Chloe’s brow furrowed even deeper. Then her face cleared. Her eyes lit up, and she turned back with a grin that looked amazing in the fading sunlight.

“Now that,” said Chloe, “is one hell of an idea, Dana Ward.”

* * *

Taking a detour away from the white oak and the bridge, Chloe led the way to a small bend near the hillside. The dirt was smooth and almost entirely free of loose rocks. She dropped the skateboard that she’d stolen from Trevor—or that she’d “borrowed,” as Chloe insisted—and gave it a nudge with her foot. Satisfied, Chloe hopped on with her full weight and pushed off, letting the board glide across the clearing. She kicked her heels around and sent the board sliding back toward Dana, looking ever so casual with her hands in her pocket and a grin on her face.

Dana stepped back, but just in time, Chloe leaned back and pressed down with her foot. The skateboard popped to a halt, flipping up its front end with a spray of dust that made Chloe cough and splutter. She wiped at her mouth, and a shade of red flushed across her cheeks.

“Ugh, okay, okay,” she insisted. “That... that was supposed to look a lot cooler than it did.”

“Looked pretty cool to me.” Dana glanced at the skateboard. “You really think I can do this?”

“Sure. Look, just put your foot here...”

Stepping aside, Chloe kept one foot on the skateboard. Dana hesitated before putting down her shoe. She was glad she’d worn her old canvas sneakers. A layer of dirt had already gotten into the laces just from walking around.

Little by little, Dana found her balance. She tried to remember every tip she’d gotten from her cheerleading coach back in the day. How to stand poised and put all her energy into the right muscles before jumping off. It was a little harder, though, since she was standing on a wobbling board with wheels and not on a football field like in practice. But Chloe’s hand wrapped tight around hers, and Dana wasn’t that afraid. She took a breath, and then she pushed ahead.

“Whoa...” Chloe laughed. “That looked graceful as fuck.”

Dana turned around. “Thanks. I just—”

“Watch out!”

Right as she said it, Dana looked down. The board had slipped out from her feet, and she nearly tumbled facefirst into the ground.

Thinking fast, Dana thrust out her arms. Her hands stung when they hit the ground, but with her fingers splayed out, she was able to stop herself from faceplanting. Her feet landed a second later, and she looked up at a disbelieving Chloe.

“Um, wow...” Dana giggled. “ _That_ was close.”

“Damn...” Chloe knelt down and offered her hand. “Sensei, you _gotta_ tell me what dojo you’re studying at. I wanna be a real ninja, too!”

Taking her hand, Dana got back to her feet and dusted herself off. She chuckled and met Chloe’s puppy-dog eyes with a teasing smile. “Sorry. Only the best cheerleaders get to know that stuff.”

Chloe snorted. “Oh, okay. Hard pass. Like I’m ever gonna learn to use pom-poms.”

Dana laughed, and she went to grab the skateboard. But instead of picking it up with her hands, she extended her foot and pushed it back over to Chloe. The other girl caught it with her own foot, and she grinned at the effort.

“Okay,” she said. “So you’re a _little_ advanced in the mystic art of taking a spill. So we just gotta work on your balance while riding. You know how to push. Now it’s just getting both feet on the board and not falling off.” Chloe examined the board for a second. Then she winked at Dana. “We’ll save the real tricks for next week, grasshopper.”

“You’re a terrible Mr. Miyagi,” Dana replied, folding her arms.

With a laugh, Chloe brushed at her cheek. “Don’t be fooled. I’m totally a hundred years old. It’s all that healthy living, I swear.”

“If you say so...”

After a minute to rest, Dana tried again. This time, Chloe got close to her. Holding her hand, she was all but jogging alongside Dana as they guided Trevor’s board into a gentle curve around the clearing. Dana felt a touch wobbly with both feet on the skateboard, but it got easier with Chloe’s hand around hers. A couple more practice runs, and her confidence was getting a long-deserved boost. It wasn’t exactly stealing soda cans from a vending machine, but this outing was pretty wonderful in its own way. In her head, Dana imagined Firewalk’s music playing in the distance, and she let that beat carry her along the last few turns of Trevor’s board.

Grinding to a halt, Dana almost tripped over the board. She stomped her foot, and she panicked as the board began to slip away again. This time, however, Chloe was on it. She slammed her foot down and made the board come to a dead halt. Dana jolted forward, but Chloe caught her effortlessly.

“Whoa there!” Chloe giggled. “Don’t wanna ruin that pretty face.”

“Aww!” Dana laughed as she got back to her feet again. “At least you think I’m pretty!”

“Well, I mean... yeah!” Chloe rubbed at the back of her neck and looked away. “It’s, uh, not like I’m blind. I mean, you’re more than _just_ your looks, but... like, I mean...”

“Chloe, it’s fine.” Dana patted her hand. “I know how to take a compliment. And for what it’s worth, you’re a decent teacher.”

“Which is hilarious when you consider how _I_ learned skating.” Chloe lifted her elbow toward Dana and pointed. “Long story short? I ate a _lot_ of pavement as a kid. There’s actual photographic evidence of my many spills.”

“Really?” Dana tilted her head to the side. “You had your own camera setup?”

“Well, it was my dad, most times.” Again, Chloe rubbed at the back of her neck. She paused longer than before. “And Max.”

“Who’s Max?”

“My...” Chloe trailed off for a moment. She glanced down at her own dirt-crusted sneakers. “Well, she _was_ my best friend. But then she moved away, and... I wasn’t in the best frame of mind when she did. My dad had just died.”

“God, I’m so sorry.” Dana pressed her hands over her heart. “Do you wanna sit down?”

“No, no, I’m cool.” With an exaggerated shrug, Chloe turned away. “It’s not like I haven’t dwelled on this shit long enough. Max was cool, but, you know, times change. So do people. And to be honest?” When she turned back, Chloe’s grin had returned like nothing was wrong. “I’m done dwelling in the past. Max is gone, Dad’s gone, and I’m still here.” She extended her hand. “So, you wanna get outta here? Maybe grab dinner?”

Dana blinked. Her heart stopped at the same time. “Are... are you asking me out?”

Chloe blushed, and she glanced away. Her hand faltered. “Would you be weirded out if I was?”

Nothing in the last two weeks had prepared Dana for this. She’d told herself she was done with dating for the time being. No more boys to give her trouble. No more pitying looks from Juliet. Just Dana being Dana, a regular girl with a pocket full of school spirit. And yet, the more she looked at Chloe’s shy body language, the harder she found it to say no. Even the idea of going out with another girl, as more than just a friend, excited her. Not at all what the Dana from last year would’ve thought.

She cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I’d—”

A distant holler broke Dana’s concentration. Both girls turned around and peered through the trees that surrounded them.

After a few seconds, another holler echoed. Like someone trying to imitate a wolf’s howl. Then there was a whole chorus of voices—male voices—howling like mad somewhere in the park. Chloe herself let out a small growl as the din grew louder. She lifted a hand and stalked past Dana toward the edge of the clearing, rolling up her sleeves along the way like a woman on a mission.

Dana stared after Chloe. “What is it?”

“Trouble,” was all she said before she disappeared into the grove.

* * *

Trekking through the park, Dana was grateful that it was still light out even though the sun had already set. She would’ve easily walked facefirst into a tree once it was pitch-black. In any case, between all the shadows that fell across her path, making every root a tripping hazard, Dana could trust in the black Firewalk T-shirt that kept moving ahead, telling her exactly where Chloe was.

They came to a halt just outside the edge of another clearing. Ducking behind a tree, Chloe waved for Dana to keep quiet. She pointed toward the source of the ruckus they’d heard.

Once she saw the first varsity jacket, with that red-and-white coloring, Dana’s heart sank. She recognized almost all the athletes gathered around a picnic table. They were hooting and hollering, playing grabass and cracking the same tired sexual jokes. One of them had dropped a portable cooler onto the table, loaded up with beer and, to her surprise, an actual bottle of red wine. But boys being boys, one of the jocks cracked open a beer and then the rest of them were dogpiling onto the cheap stuff like it was Halloween candy. Watching them tear into the beer reminded Dana of her last Vortex Club rave, and how the freshmen who’d gotten VIP access had jumped onto the beer like people dying of thirst.

“Typical,” Chloe muttered. “You look for _one_ quiet place out of town, and then the fucking Neanderthals decide to invade it.”

“They come here a lot,” Dana admitted. She clutched at her arm. “I just didn’t think they’d need to be here tonight.”

Turning around, Chloe looked her over. Her face went through a couple of expressions. “Uh, are you... gonna be okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“You sure?”

“It’s okay.” Dana gestured dismissively at the crowd. “Let... let’s just go, okay?”

She was about to leave when one voice rose high above all the others. Dana froze. Her breath caught in her throat, and she begged that she’d only imagined it. She _had_ to be imagining things. Just had to be.

“Stomp ’em, Bigfoots!” the dude called out. “Heh heh, yeah!”

 _No._ Dana made herself turn around. She forced herself to look back at the jocks crowded around the table—and right at the towering figure of Logan Robertson. He tilted his head back and crowed like a beast, lifting up a beer to the cheers of his mates. He’d done the same thing after that last game against the Razorbacks, only he’d been carrying a bottle of Gatorade at the time. Rumor on campus was that Principal Wells was the only one legally allowed to be drunk at Blackwell’s games.

Seeing Logan now, Dana felt sick. She shivered and took an involuntary step back over the grass.

Chloe frowned. “Something’s clearly bothering you. Wanna lay it on me?”

“Ugh.” Without even looking up, Dana pointed out. “See _that_ guy over there?”

“Uh, yeah? Kinda hard to miss the bastard.”

Dana grimaced. “Yeah, well, we... used to date.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. “No shit. And here I thought lovely Logan only had a hard-on for himself.”

Turning away, Dana crossed her arms. “Trust me. He _does._ ”

What she expected was for Chloe to make another joke about her ex, or about the Bigfoots in general. What she got instead was a gentle hug from behind. Dana gasped at the sudden warmth of Chloe’s body pressing into her own, causing her heart to beat like a jackhammer. But this wasn’t the pervy, awkward fumbling of a Blackwell bro. This affection was real. Special, even. Dana closed her eyes and reached up to touch her friend’s arm.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“You’ve earned it.” Chloe let go after a few more seconds, and she stepped around to face Dana. “If you need to bail, then let’s bail.” A sly grin emerged on her face. “However, if you’re interested in a little payback...”

Dana blinked. “Chloe, I don’t—”

“Now, just hear me out.” Leaning away, Chloe pointed at the picnic table. “I’ve got my eye on that bottle of wine. All I need you to do is be a distraction.”

“What?”

“You know, make a scene. Stir shit up.”

Staring at Logan throwing back beeers with his team, Dana couldn’t imagine walking out there, let alone talking to them. To _him._

“I can’t,” she muttered.

“Sure you can!” Chloe patted her on the arm. “I get in people’s faces all the time. The trick to good backtalk is to take whatever line they throw at you and shove it right back at them. If someone calls you a slut, you make it a badge of honor. _Then_ you call ’em a fucking loser who’d never get to punch _your_ V-card.” She spread out her hands and grinned. “See? Easy.”

Dana’s jaw dropped. “You... you’re insane.”

Chloe responded with a pair of finger guns aimed at Dana. “Not bad, not bad. Could use a little work.” She reached out and shoved Dana into the clearing. “Now, go get ’em, rockstar!”

Stumbling forward, Dana almost tripped over a large tree root. She cursed and muttered to herself, “Dammit...”

“Dana?”

She froze at the sound of his voice.

Looking up, Dana met the collective gaze of seven football players. Some of them were grinned at her, and a few were nudging each other and sharing a few chuckles. Only Logan moved. He hopped off the table and began walking over to Dana. His slow, ponderous steps crunched through the field of grass. Even as he took a fast sip of his beer, Logan didn’t seem chill at all. Not one bit.

Dana stood her ground. If Chloe’s insane plan was going to work, she prayed it’d be over quick.

“Oh,” she said, crossing her arms. “Hey, Logan...”

Logan scoffed. “‘Hey?’ That’s it? That’s all you gotta say?”

Dana bristled. She fought the urge to slap him. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Logan pointed his beer bottle at her, the liquid inside sloshing around, loud enough to be heard across the whole clearing. “You’ve been ignoring my texts. You won’t see me after class. Shit, you don’t even go to our parties anymore. I mean...” His face twisted into a nasty scowl. “I thought we still _had_ something, Dana.”

 _Okay,_ Dana thought, _let’s shove it back in his face now._

“The only thing you’re getting, Logan,” she snarled, “is a restraining order. I don’t want you blowing up my phone or hanging around my dorm. You and I are done. _Officially_ done.”

“Babe, c’mon...” Logan waved back at his teammates. “You’re really gonna do this now? In front of all my friends?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Dana caught a glimpse of someone moving through the trees.

“Friends?” she echoed. Good. She could work with that. Planting a hand on her hip, Dana looked past Logan. “Oh, you mean your little gossip circle? Because I sure didn’t blab all _your_ secrets to _my_ friends on a fucking Skype chat!”

“Whoa,” one of the Bigfoots exclaimed. A bunch of them glanced around nervously at each other. Even Logan took a step back, his eyes simmering with guilt.

“Babe,” he started to say.

Dana wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She leaned forward, staring right into his eyes, and hissed, “You call me ‘babe’ again, and I’ll spill what you did to me all over the Web. You wanna risk your precious scholarship over that?”

Standing there, Dana felt equal parts victorious and nauseous. She only had to remember the sweaty weight of his body on top of hers to start hyperventilating and go weak in the knees. All that shame and terror come flooding back in her mind, but this time, Dana didn’t back down and give in to his pressure. The confused, hurt look on Logan’s face was worth all of that. So were all the embarrassed faces of his fellow jocks. Dana couldn’t believe how often she’d partied with them before.

Not a single one of them gave a damn about her now.

Logan opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted with a cry of “Yoink!”

Everyone turned around to see Chloe grabbing the wine from the ice chest. She laughed and flipped off the pack of jocks with her other hand. Then she scampered away into the woods again.

And even in all that commotion, Dana didn’t miss the wink Chloe gave her on the way out.

Logan threw his beer bottle on the grass. It shattered, unleashing a spray of foam as he called out, “Fucking _bitch!_ ”

“Well, I’ll...” Dana started to back away. “I’ll let you deal with that...”

But Logan didn’t hear her. He was already joining the other guys in chasing after Chloe. When it was obvious that he wouldn’t turn back to her, Dana sighed. She lifted her middle finger and pointed it at Logan’s retreating shape.

Then she, too, slipped off into the shelter of the surrounding trees.

* * *

“Ha ha, yeah! You rocked, girl!” Chloe’s voice rang out from the trees as Dana came to a halt. They’d arrived somewhere near the other end of the park, far from the mountainside and from the picnic areas. It was dark enough that the moonlight couldn’t even slip through the canopy of trees where Dana now stood. She doubled over and gasped for breath as the other girl came up and slapped her across the back. The impact shook Dana, and Chloe bounced away in surprise.

“Whoa,” she exclaimed. “Sorry ’bout that!”

“It’s... it’s...” Dana waited until her lungs weren’t on fire anymore before responding. Standing up again, she squinted at Chloe through the nighttime gloom. “It’s... fine, Chloe.”

Chloe regarded her with a frown. “Is it?”

“Look, maybe... just this once?” Dana shook her head. “Maybe our idea of fun isn’t the same.”

She looked Chloe over, her body still shivering from the rush of that confrontation and escape. Dana felt old and tired while, by contrast, Chloe seemed every bit as young and bouncy as a little kid in a candy store. Even the way she clutched onto her stolen wine bottle fit the profile. Meanwhile, Dana wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, have a good cry, and sleep it off for twelve hours. Being outdoors, in the dead of night, was starting to grate on her nerves, even worse than the sight of Logan’s somewhat handsome, mostly dumb face.

While she reexamined the label on the wine bottle, Chloe scoffed. “You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that.” Her eyes locked onto Dana, and her mouth quirked into a smile. “Not even a little?”

Dana folded her arms over her chest. “Maybe a little. But I’m ready to go home now.”

“Aww, but why go home when we can hang out and drink?” To push her point, Chloe shook the bottle at Dana, causing the wine to slosh around inside. That noise reminded her of the way Logan had pointed his beer at her, and suddenly Dana found it hard to even look at Chloe. She turned away and shook her head.

“I said I’m done,” Dana insisted. She closed her eyes. “After tonight, I don’t think I can even _look_ at a bottle of wine right now.”

“You sure? ’Cause this is some good shit—”

“Chloe!” Turning around, Dana marched up until she was almost right in her friend’s face. Chloe’s jaw dropped, and she stumbled back a step. But Dana didn’t let up on her. “I... I’m not gonna argue, okay? If I didn’t want to party with Juliet tonight, I’m sure not going to party with you either.”

For a moment, the way Chloe’s face twisted up made it look as though she were about to cry. Dana put a hand to her mouth and immediately tried to take back her words, but instead, Chloe waved her off. She whirled away from her and stormed off to the other side of the park.

“Whatever,” Chloe bit back. “Let’s get your ass home already.”

The silence that followed was terrible. Not as bad as seeing Logan again, but now Dana had to admit that she’d let her mood get the better of her. She looked down at her shoes, at the dirt and grass stains they’d collected.

After another long moment, Dana followed after Chloe.


	4. Week Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dana wrestles with what's changed in all of her relationships. She and Chloe reach a new understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read along! Gotta love that Priceward magic.

“Hey, Dana!”

Looking up from her notebook, Dana was already preparing an apology. She assumed that the shadow that fell across her desk belonged to either Juliet or Chloe.

But instead, when she found herself looking into Rachel Amber’s gentle smile, Dana flinched. She hastily gathered her books together and shoved them into her bag before racing to get out of her chair. It didn’t seem out of place with all the other kids leaving Keaton’s class on a Friday morning, but Dana knew she hadn’t been on her game all week long. She’d even tripped over a few lines, much to Keaton’s dismay. Even half an hour later, Dana still hadn’t gotten over the shame of the teacher’s frown.

“Um, hey!” Dana forced a smile and went to join Rachel by the door leading out. “How’s it going, Rachel? Um, love those boots you’re wearing!”

“Aww, thanks!” Rachel grinned. Black cowboy boots were an odd choice, especially in this weather, but if anyone could pull it off, it’d be the unfairly attractive Amber girl. She paused near the door and crossed her arms. “So, you got a second to talk?”

“What about?” Dana shifted the strap of her messenger bag. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I just, you know, have another class in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Hoida’s English class. And I thought _Keaton_ was dramatic.”

Even as nervous as she felt, Dana giggled. “Right?”

Rachel’s good humor evaporated, leaving behind narrow-eyed suspicion. Her tone was only a touch playful as she said, “So... you and Chloe Price? Is it true?”

Dana’s stomach sank. She wished she could sink beneath the floor, maybe disappear straight through the earth’s crust. But she fought back the quaver in her voice. “Is _what_ true? We’re just friends.”

Rachel winked. “Sure you are.”

“Hey, what are you implying—?”

“Dana, I’m friends with the skater bros, too.” Leaning against the doorframe, Rachel more or less blocked Dana’s only route of escape. She offered a quiet smirk, as if she’d come to the same conclusion. “Between Chloe doing skateboard tricks to impress you, and _you_ shutting down Logan and his boys, you’re the talk of the town. I’m kind of impressed that Juliet Watson’s not getting jealous of all the attention.”

“I...” Dana licked her lips. “Look, it’s tough. We haven’t spoken for a while now.”

“You mean, since last week?” Rachel blinked. “Wow. That sucks.”

“It sure does.” Dana glanced away, ready for this conversation to end there.

In all fairness, she hadn’t even been looking for Juliet in the last week. Not so much as a text or a passing wave from her. And in the last week, Dana had been more focused—obsessed, some might say—with waiting for a message from Chloe. But the line had been dead ever since Dana had sent her apology at three in the morning. Dana felt just as bad as she had after her breakup with Logan, and after seeing him again, all those horrible and confused memories of dating him came back with a vengeance. She’d found herself curled up in bed, unable to make it to her early morning cheer practice on Monday. It’d taken a stern lecture at herself in the mirror to get Dana to even put on her makeup and pretend to be normal.

Just like she was doing right then with Rachel watching.

“So, again I ask...” Rachel tilted her head to the side. “You and Price are a thing?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Rachel—”

“I know, I know, it’s none of my business.” Holding up her hands, Rachel offered a quick smile. “But you two have really started something here. It’s shaking up all the cliques on campus. Skater girl meets top cheerleader. Girl meets girl, breaking every boy’s heart along the way. Meanwhile, the Bigfoots are cracking jokes about Logan’s balls are swinging in your purse after how you tore into him.” She added with a thumbs-up, “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

Dana stared. “You think I _wanted_ this? Rachel, I’m...” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Any of it. Logan was there, and it just happened that he got on my bad side. I said something stupid, and now I’m on Chloe’s bad side. And, _apparently,_ doing all that last week has put me on Victoria’s bad side, I’m sure.”

“Sure looks that way.” Rachel’s smile diminished. She glanced down at her boots for a moment. “But, you know, I get it. You’re trying to figure shit out.” When she looked up, her smile grew. “So, if you need someone in your corner, I’m just saying... I’m here, Dana.”

Blinking, Dana couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Not for the last time, she wondered how the heck someone like Rachel could be so mysterious. Weren’t they both teenagers? And practically the same age, too. But given how isolated she’d become, Dana wasn’t in a position to turn down any new friends. Juliet was hooked up with Zach. Victoria and her posse were circling for blood. Justin and his friends were too blazed to even notice. And as for Chloe...

Well, Dana prayed that she was still okay. Doing whatever she did instead of going to school.

“Thanks, Rachel.” Dana felt a real smile come to her face, perhaps for the first time that morning. “I really needed to hear that.”

Rachel winked. “That’s why I’m here. Now, you’d better hurry if you don’t wanna miss class.”

“Thanks again!” Dana laughed, moving past Rachel as she stepped aside.

* * *

Victoria’s hip-hop jam blasted itself in Dana’s ears by the time she reached her dorm again. She shook her head and chuckled. Not that the jam was bad, but why, oh why, did that girl need to prove she was the top clubgoer on campus? She wasn’t a bad dancer, but some nights, Victoria could be more obnoxious about having a good time than anyone else. Dana managed to slip back into her room before she could had a run-in with Blackwell’s self-appointed queen. She tossed her textbooks on the bed, locked the door behind her, and then decided that maybe good old Vicky had the right idea after all.

Moving to her Hi-Fi, Dana switched it on to an old favorite. She shoved her books aside and grinned as the electronic music started off. Add in a little drum beat, and she might as well be up in the club getting down and dirty herself.

Her head cleared, Dana closed her eyes and let all the worries of the day melt away. She forgot about her chat with Rachel, her worries with Juliet, and her drama with Chloe. For once, she could sit here and just... _be._

A lovely thought, all things considered.

But, when her phone buzzed three times, holding onto that peace proved to be a crapshoot.

Dana sighed. She considered not even picking it up. For all she knew, it was Logan, pre-gamed on cheap booze and ready for Round Two of their messy breakup. But when the phone buzzed again, she sighed and cursed herself for being so fucking nice to everyone and went to answer the phone.

To her surprise, it was Justin.

> **_Justin:_ ** _hey dana_
> 
> **_Justin:_ ** _me n the boys be crashin the lighthouse tomorrow night_
> 
> **_Justin:_ ** _big campire n everythin_
> 
> **_Justin:_ ** _u want in on this?_

Dread filled the bottom of Dana’s stomach. She couldn’t be sure that a certain someone would be there with the skater boys. And if so, was she even ready to have that conversation?

She glanced out her window. Watched birds flutter past, their shadows racing over the squirrels that chased each other around the grass in the courtyard. And when she got right down to it, Dana had to admit that she didn’t feel like going to yet another Vortex Club party. Or staying inside all the time like some crazy old hermit. Either way would just be giving Victoria and Logan free ammo to use against her.

But no one even bothered with the skater kids. They flew just below the radar, and that was what Dana wanted more than anything. Even if it meant running into a certain blonde in a hoodie with a bad attitude and a devil-may-care grin.

That grin made Dana smile, too. She typed up her response right away.

> **_Dana:_ ** _hey hey justin_
> 
> **_Dana:_ ** _thanks for the invite!_
> 
> **_Dana:_ ** _luv to come and hang_
> 
> **_Dana:_ ** _send me the details later, k?_

* * *

Sweat ran down the back of Dana’s shirt. The night air chilled it, and she grimaced at the sudden dampness underneath her jacket. Nonetheless, she pushed herself higher up the trail. These woods along the beach weren’t a strange place to her, but she’d been a stranger to them of late. Dana had chosen not to attend the last few Bigfoot victory parties out this way. And considering their loss to the team from Newberg the night before, she doubted that any of them would be hanging out near the lighthouse.

That thought comforted Dana as she reached the last turn and the top of the hill. She paused to catch her breath and admire the view. It was a clear, cool night, and the stars were visible for miles around. At the summit stoood the old lighthouse, casting a massive shadow that blocked out half the lights from the town below.

The only real source of light she could find was a small campfire, around which three figures sat. As she approached, Dana recognized Justin and Trevor. But it wasn’t until she got close to see the other person that she came to a halt.

Chloe stared into the fire, shrouded in her hoodie. If she’d even noticed Dana, she didn’t show it.

“Hey, you made it!” Justin giggled and passed his weed pipe over to Trevor. “Don’t be a stranger, Dana. S’all good!”

Dana hesitated. She tried for a smile. “Um, thanks.”

“Dude.” Trevor chuckled as he blew out a fresh puff of ganja, the smoke mixing with the campfire’s rising embers. “Duuude, we... we gotta check what’s gonna on downstairs, you feel me? Like...” He laughed, as if making a joke that only he’d understood. “Ah, dude. Like, Justin, my _man._ The guys! Down on the beach! They’re probably going nuts!”

“Aww, shit, yeah!” Justin slapped his friend across the back. “Right on! Let’s go!”

Before Dana could even ask what the heck they meant, the two boys barreled past her. They scampered down the trail as twice as fast as she’d been able to climb it. Only when they had disappeared, giggling into the shadows, did Dana sigh and take Justin’s spot on the log beside the campfire.

Which put her directly across from Chloe.

Chloe didn’t look at her at first. Her eyes were fixed on the dancing flames. Dana hugged herself as a gentle sea breeze drifted them, making the campfire spark and crackle. When she looked back, Chloe was still quiet. Dana didn’t know what else she’d been expecting. She’d dealt with this kind of relationship trouble before. With Logan, it took a firm no. With Victoria, it meant making a few declarations at a party, with plenty of witnesses. As for Juliet, her _de facto_ best friend at Blackwell, she needed more buttering up. Covering food and chores and the like, until the ice thawed and they were back to their usual selves.

But when she thought it over, Dana realized that she didn’t have the first clue about Chloe’s process. She knew Chloe liked skateboarding, tagging walls, smoking pot, and generally being a sarcastic bitch to people she didn’t like. And sometimes to people she _did_ like, which just confused Dana even more.

Dana couldn’t be sarcastic back. She wasn’t going to try to upstage the master. Instead, she scooted a little closer toward Chloe and waited a few seconds before speaking.

“Hey.” A lame start, even when she heard it, but Dana made herself keep going. “You... look well.”

No answer. Chloe’s eyes continued to peer into the depths of the fire.

Watching her, Dana decided that she needed a different track. Some language they could both speak. She scooted closer, joining Chloe on her log, but still keeping her distance. After a moment of staring into the fire, Dana cleared her throat.

“So, there’s this girl I know?” Dana smiled. “She’s, uh, this cheerleader. Used to love going to all these big parties on and off campus. And she’s, like, super nice.” She rubbed at the back of her neck. “But, you see, she’s got this problem. She’s, uh, pissed off this other girl that she likes—and I mean, _really_ likes—because she said the wrong thing at the worst possible time. And, uh, quite naturally, this _other_ girl stormed off and hasn’t talked to her since.”

Chloe still didn’t respond.

Dana turned away from the fire and added, “And it’s a shame because, honestly, this cheerleader I know is, like, usually not a real bitch to her friends. But she was hurt when she saw her ex again, and I guess she didn’t know how to even handle the other girl she thought was her friend.” She swallowed. “Or, like, thought might be _more_ than her friend...”

At long last, she heard it. A long, shuddering breath from Chloe.

Her hands fidgeted in her lap, and Dana waited. She watched Chloe wrestle with something inside. Then, seconds ticking by as the flames crackled in the wind, the other girl sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve.

“Shit.” Chloe blew out another breath. “Just... fuck my life, you know? I had my suspicions the first time we met, you know? Couple of weeks ago, I saw the way you were smiling at me, and I thought, ‘Like there’s _any_ chance in hell this girl’s got a thing for me, or even other girls.’ But _damn,_ Dana...” She yanked off her hood and chuckled. “Guess my gaydar’s in need of some fine-tuning.”

Relief filled Dana’s chest. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“I dunno.” Looking up from the fire, Chloe’s eyes were wet. Out of instinct, Dana moved right up beside her and put her hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “You’re, uh, not the first person to call out my shit or get tired of me.” She chuckled, and even that sounded wet and hoarse. “I mean, Christ, even shy little Max went and ditched me for Seattle. I _get_ it. I’m not the easiest person to be around some days.” She sniffled. “Or most days...”

“That’s not true,” Dana insisted. Her hand tightened on her friend’s shoulder. “Chloe, you’re amazing. Sure, you can be...” She searched hard and fast for the right way to put it. “Well, you can a bit rough around the edges. But you’re allowed. I mean, like you told me last week, you’ve been through some godawful stuff. But you’re still crazy strong where it counts.”

Chloe scoffed, but Dana continued. “ _And_ you’re sweet, too. Who else would’ve made me stand up to Logan like that?”

“Well, I...” Chloe blinked. “I mean, you didn’t need too much encouragement. Logan had it coming.”

“But you _helped_ me find the words to make it happen.” Dana smiled. “You think anyone else I know would’ve done that for me? Not even my best friend stood up for me like that.”

“Not much a friend then, is she?” Chloe sniffled again. “Sorry, that was out of line—”

“No, it wasn’t.” Dana sighed and bent over to stare into the campfire. “Juliet’s nice when she wants to be. You’re genuine. And even if you wanna hate me... I’ll be okay with that, too.”

“I don’t hate you.” Chloe hesitated. Then her hand crept over and wrapped itself around Dana’s fingers. When Dana looked up, she realized that Chloe had gotten a lot closer. Almost enough to close the distance and make something happen.

So Dana sealed the deal first.

Chloe drew back at first, uttering a sharp “Mmph!” But when Dana persisted, she yielded into the kiss. Her lips were hard and dry, but Dana didn’t mind. She’d had worse with every guy she’d ever dated. By comparison, her lips were soft and sweet.

Dana tightened her grip on Chloe’s hand and drew it close to her chest, pulling Chloe over just as firmly. By then, the other girl didn’t need any further prompting. She snaked her other hand into Dana’s hair and pulled her in, as their mouths parted in a mutual gasp. Dana tasted beer and cigarettes in an acrid blend. But she didn’t care. She was too delighted and let Chloe pull her in with a ravenous strength.

* * *

Minutes later, they were slumped against each other on the log, staring into the burning embers of the faded campfire. Dana held onto Chloe by the waist, snuggling against her and sighing. Chloe, for her part, wore the biggest grin. She’d asked for permission before lighting up a cigarette and taking a few puffs. When she offered one, Dana shook her head, and Chloe only chuckled before sliding it back into her pocket. All without removing the arm that she’d slung across Dana’s shoulders.

“You know there’s no way I’m joining your little clique, right?” Chloe blew out a lungful of smoke as she spoke. “I mean, _you’re_ nice, Dana. You’re amazing, but...”

“No, I get it.” Dana shifted her head, resting it on Chloe’s shoulder. “Honestly, I could care less right now.”

“You mean you _couldn’t_ care less.”

“Oh, excuse _me,_ Miss Pedantic—”

“Better a smartass than a dumb one.” Chloe laughed. She turned and planted a quick kiss on Dana’s forehead, before she could even protest. “Sorry, sorry. I’m used to picking out the flaws in people’s conversations. Force of habit.”

Dana smiled. She thought back to that night in the park, and Chloe’s take-no-prisoners grin. “Well, of course you would. It’s the secret to good backtalk, right?”

“You betcha.”

They fell silent, and they stared past the campfire into the murky waters beyond the bay. It was incredible how so many stars hung freely in the air, with the moon casting a light over them.

Dana could only imagine that the lighthouse, back when it was still in use, would’ve looked amazing at nighttime. She tried to imagine seeing its searchlight hitting the water from where they sat. And when that image came together in her head, Dana saw herself on a small boat, battered by choppy waves, rowing through the fog. Weary and exhausted, she’d would’ve crashed into her own shoreline. But then she’d caught sight of someone tending the lighthouse, and she’d followed her light all the way to safety. As safe as she felt right at that moment.

Dana leaned in and planted a kiss against the side of Chloe’s neck. “You’re amazing all by yourself, Chloe. I don’t even know how this could work, but... fuck it. I’d like to try.”

Chloe flicked the last few ashes of her cig into the firepit. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, if _you_ want that, too. I don’t want to pressure you—”

Before Dana could even finish her thought, Chloe had turned and kissed her again. This time, she meant it. This was a shut-up kiss, and Dana loved it. As soon as Chloe pulled back, Dana’s mind had gone blank.

Meanwhile, Chloe nudged her. “Pfft. You think you had to chase me for this? Dana, I just bared my fuckin’ heart and soul to you, like, half an hour ago. If you’re in, then I’m in, too.”

Dana grinned. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”

“Same here, rockstar.” Chloe got to her feet, and then offered Dana her hand. “Now, if I know the boys, they’re gonna be doing their own thing until maybe two a.m. And then they’re gonna scavenge for food at whatever gas station they can find. If you don’t wanna hang around ’til then, I know a few places where we can grab a bite.” She winked and added, “Annnd, you know, I’ve _still_ haven’t opened that bottle of wine I stole from Logan. Thought I’d save it for a special occasion... or a special someone.”

Dana giggled and took Chloe by the hand. She got to her feet and swayed into the other girl, who caught her. “You’re such a softie, Chloe Price.”

“Good.” Chloe winked and tugged her back toward the trail. “Now, don’t you dare let anyone else know, or I’ll make you regret it.”

The only response Dana gave was to squeeze her hand back and follow her down the forest path.


End file.
